Peaceful Parenting from the Start: Pregnancy and Beyond

I wanted to talk about peaceful parenting from the start today, because I feel like a lot of Peaceful Parenting resources focus on peacefully parenting toddlers and older kids, but the newborn and pregnancy phase is skipped altogether.

I’m not sure why it isn’t talked about, because those early stages of development and bonding are so, so important.

Now, before we get started, I do want to give a disclaimer. Pregnancy, birth, and newborn stuff are all in the realm of medical issues, and I do want to point out that I am not a doctor. So, nothing that we talk about today is intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Definitely talk to a qualified physician if you have questions or concerns.

Okay, with all that out of the way, let’s dive in!

From the moment you find out you’re expecting a little one, tons of emotions wash over you all at once. Joy, fear, gratitude, worry, love, hope….maybe even panic or sadness, depending on your circumstance.

All of a sudden, you question everything you do. Should I drink coffee this morning? Is it okay to take a hot shower? Which prenatal vitamins should I take?

Nearly all your thoughts are consumed with this new life growing inside you. The Bible verse, “Pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) takes on a new meaning, as you constantly whisper prayers for your baby.

3 Ways to Parent Peacefully During Pregnancy

There are many ways you can start practicing peaceful parenting during pregnancy, but today we’re going to talk about three.

Now, obviously you aren’t going to be yelling at your unborn baby or threatening to put them in time out, but nevertheless, pregnancy is an important time for you to build a firm foundation for peaceful parenting throughout your parenthood journey.

Manage your stress.

If there was ever a time to master stress management, this is it! Lots of stress can cause health problems and studies have shown that mom’s stress may also affect the baby, too.

If you’re going through a particularly difficult time, be sure to reach out and talk to a counselor. Working through any “baggage” you may be carrying from past hurts will help you be better prepared to peacefully parent.

Another thing you can do is start practicing meditation. I like to search YouTube for “guided relaxation” exercises. You can also find videos of encouraging scripture verses being read, which is also great to meditate on.

Research everything.

When I was pregnant with my first, I read everything I could get my hands on about pregnancy symptoms and fetal development. While those things were important, I was very unprepared for all the decisions I’d have to make once my baby was born.

I hadn’t informed myself enough to make good choices for her, and that is something I deeply regret to this day.

Be sure to research everything you can about birth, breastfeeding, newborn sleep, attachment parenting, electromagnetic field exposure from cell phones/computers, safe personal care items, medication safety, and anything else you can think of. You’ll want to be equipped with all the knowledge your brain can hold so that you can make the best choices for yourself and your baby.

Nurture your unborn baby.

While you can’t physically cuddle your baby, there are many things you can do while pregnant to start building a close bond and laying the foundation for peaceful parenting.

Around the middle of your second trimester, your baby can hear sounds! You can begin to read books, sing songs, pray aloud, and speak words of affirmation over him or her.

You can also nurture your baby by rubbing your belly, which is really like a natural instinct for moms to do!

3 Ways to Parent your Newborn Peacefully

Plan a peaceful birth

If you think about it, your baby has been floating around in a warm bath, snug in a dark cozy environment for nine months. It must be a very rude awakening to be born into a loud, cold, bright world!

To make the transition easier on them, plan on birthing in a peaceful environment. I planned for a peaceful, natural birth with my first baby, but I didn’t do the first thing to prepare my body for actually handling labor and giving birth.

I ended up having an emergency c-section that was far from peaceful.

With my youngest two children, I planned a gentle cesarean with immediate skin-to-skin and both of those births were beautiful, peaceful experiences.

Delay or skip “routine” procedures.

Unless you’re having a homebirth, most likely your baby will be poked, prodded, injected, suctioned, and subjected to many more painful experiences unless you specify otherwise in your birth plan.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, newborns experience “too much pain” from “routine procedures.” The AAP says that prevention of pain in newborns should be the goal, not only because it is ethical but also because repeated painful exposures have the potential for harmful consequences.

Of course, every baby is different, and each circumstance is unique, but many times you can choose to skip or delay painful procedures.

Be sure to do thorough research on anything that comes into contact with your baby, whether it’s an injection, a medication, a heel prick, or a medical procedure.

Specifically, routine infant circumcision is one procedure you can skip entirely to save your son a lot of stress and pain. Peacefully welcoming your son without cutting off a healthy, valuable body part is really important.

As Christian moms, we know that God designed the human body with a perfect plan and called it “very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

The Bible also tells us that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)

God created every part of your child with value and purpose. Respecting God’s design and your son, is the ultimate way to start his life off peacefully. Circumcision is unnecessary from a Biblical and a medical perspective. Not only is circumcision extremely painful and harmful, but it also carries the risk of infection and even death. I do hope you’ll research this further. Recommended reading: LittleImages.org and YourWholeBaby.org

Breastfeed if you can

Not only does breastfeeding have a plethora of health benefits for both mom and baby, but it is also a great way to start off with peaceful parenting.

Breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact are great ways to bond with your baby. This bond is so important because it lasts a lifetime. The close-knit feeling you have between yourself and your baby will last through the difficult toddler years and well beyond.

Breastfeeding also releases hormones that cause you to feel relaxed. The hormone oxytocin is called the “love hormone” because of its role in helping you feel more loving and nurturing toward your baby.

Just to recap, you can start your peaceful parenting journey even in pregnancy and in those precious newborn days. There are tons of ways to do that, and we’ve talked about just a few today. I hope this episode has inspired you to prayerfully consider all the many choices you have to make when you’re expecting a bundle of joy, and really do your homework so that you can be prepared to parent peacefully right from the start.

Join Marianna Chambers as she talks about practical ways to become a more peaceful parent. Having children is a wonderful blessing, but it can also be quite stressful. Every day we hear from moms just like you who are struggling to be the gentle parent they want to be. Moms desperately want to raise their children on a firm foundation of love, but those sweet kids sure know how to push our buttons. (And boy, do they push them!)

Marianna Chambers is a counselor, parenting coach, blogger, homeschool mom, and best-selling author. She’s passionate about supporting and encouraging moms. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram, or read her blog here. You can also join her private Facebook group for Christian moms on a peaceful parenting mission.

HARRRCH! Greetings from our bronchitis ward! With the whole family, including your hosts, suffering from all sorts of respiratory unpleasantness … we’re going to bring back our show about navigating the challenges of sickness in your family. We hope to be healthy and “back in the saddle” soon! ~ Hal and Melanie

The traditional wedding vows include the promise to love and cherish one another “in sickness and in health.” Yet most of us come to our wedding without a lot of personal experience of serious, life-disrupting illness. We accept the vow but don’t have much practical knowledge of what that may look like.

“We’ve got kids who’ve had broken bones, we’ve had a child was born with a congenital heart defect. We have had all kinds of bizarre and strange problems over the years. And yet I don’t think of us as a sickly family, … Here’s the thing. We make that promise up front that we’re going to be there for one another. We’re going to love one another even when we’re sick and you know that that’s really a practical manner. That’s really the rubber meets the road there because you know, that’s when the loving feelings just aren’t there.

“You know that you don’t have warm, fluffy feeling when one of you is throwing up in the bathroom, the romance is not in the picture at that point. And yet, …

“Do you remember when I got food poisoning? … We had only been married a matter of weeks. I will never forget that feeling of being in the bathroom throwing up and feeling such a nasty mess, and I was a newlywed! I was used to trying to be pretty and everything and I felt … so helpless. And I remember you wetting a washcloth and washing my face off and I tell you what — I felt some love for you. I felt a huge wave of affection for you.

Love is about doing. It’s not about feeling.

It’s an action, a choice of our behavior toward another person rather than purely a reflection of our feelings at the moment.

“That’s an important thing to remember. You know that over and over again in Scripture, love works its way out in our actions, not just in the butterfly kind of fluffy feelings. I mean, those are there, that’s great when they’re there; but when you’re absolutely beat by chemotherapy, when you are recovering from a really difficult pregnancy, or whatever … something else comes into play than just the animal attraction.”

“You know what true love is—it’s putting someone else’s feelings and needs ahead of your own, right? There’s a passage starting in Ecclesiastes 4:9 – it says, ‘Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor, for if they fall, one will lift up his companion; but woe to him who was alone when he falls and he gas no one to help him up again. If two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’”

“You know that the two of us in marriage together, if one of us has a need, the other one can step up and meet it. I’ll be strong one day or week or even year. And you’ll be strong another one. Can we just take turns? And in that threefold cord that’s not quickly broken — when we have the Lord to rely on, we are strong.”

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In this podcast, Sue shares another part of the Homeopathy: Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Online Course – a birth story from her daughter, Angela. Angela shares her birth story and tells about her journey through her pregnancy and childbirth and how she used homeopathy along the way.

Angela Pudwell is Sue Meyer’s 24 years old daughter, ​married to husband​, Keith, ​of 4 1/2 years​, and ​the proud and thankful ​mother to beautiful baby girl Quinn. ​Her career passion and current focus of study is ​massage therapy​ with an in-depth study of​ health nutrition and personal training. “My husband and I fell in love in high school and ​were married in our early twenties. ​Our 4th anniversary gift from God Himself was that I gave birth to our first baby, a ​beautiful little ​girl, named Quinn Sabina (named after the Saint and homeopathic remedy, Sabina). Since I had such a trying time during my pregnancy, I’ve committed myself to learning more about pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and postpartum care and nutrition.”

Learn about gentle yet powerful homeopathic remedies that can support and empower you in your journey from pregnancy, childbirth to beyond. Sue Meyer ND CCH for this journey of motherhood from pregnancy to birth and beyond. In this new online course, Sue shares helpful homeopathic remedies and other experiences that she has learned through her life as the mom of 11 children and 33 grandchildren (with more on the way!). This course is for pregnant women and their partners, birth assistants, doulas, midwives and other health professionals to learn how to use homeopathic remedies throughout the birthing journey.

The content of the Homeopathy for Mommies Radio post or page, including text, graphics, images, or information contained in text or audio, or other content, is offered on an informational basis only. No content is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always seek the advice and guidance of a qualified health professional before: Changing or making any adjustment to any medication or treatment protocol you are currently using.

Stopping any medication or treatment protocol you are currently using.

Starting any new medication or treatment protocol, whether or not it was discussed on the Homeopathy For Mommies Radio show, page or post on this website.

Information on this site is informational and not as specifically applicable to any individual’s medical problem(s), concerns and/or needs.

These products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to treat or prevent disease.

In each audio remedies are recommended. We are not claiming that the product will cure any of these problems or disorders. We are merely reporting that people have used the product to aid these conditions.

To love and to cherish … in sickness and in health

For most of us, getting married at our healthy young-adult peak, the thought of life-rattling sickness is just a theoretical thing … most of us haven’t suffered more than an annual flu or a sprained ankle. Yet living in a fallen world, we can count on encountering an injury, a serious illness, or some other medical issue that calls us to account for that promise. How do we show love in sickness – whether our mate’s the one under the weather, or we are?

We’ve been there (both of us) so join us for a full episode of reasons to show extra love – and ideas how to make it work – when there’s sickness in the family!

In this episode, Sue talks about her experience with pregnancies, miscarriages, infertility, and women’s health. She shares several cases that have been successfully treated with homeopathy and talks about how she would support a pregnancy using homeopathy and natural remedies today.

This audio is for educational purposes and is not intended in any way to be a replacement for, or as a substitute to qualified medical advice. If you think you are suffering from a medical condition consult your doctor or other qualified persons.

The content of the Homeopathy for Mommies Radio post or page, including text, graphics, images, or information contained in text or audio, or other content, is offered on an informational basis only. No content is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always seek the advice and guidance of a qualified health professional before changing or making any adjustment to any medication or treatment protocol you are currently using.

Stopping any medication or treatment protocol you are currently using.

Starting any new medication or treatment protocol, whether or not it was discussed on the Homeopathy For Mommies Radio show, page or post on this website.

Information on this site is informational and not as specifically applicable to any individual’s medical problem(s), concerns and/or needs.

These products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to treat or prevent disease.

In each audio remedies are recommended. We are not claiming that the product will cure any of these problems or disorders. We are merely reporting that people have used the product to aid these conditions.

“Children are a blessing of the LORD,” the Psalm tells us … yet sometimes, we wonder if that’s always true. When you lose your job and then announce that you’re expecting, people look at you funny. Maybe the new baby is closer to big sister than you planned. Maybe you’re in the middle of a difficult relocation. There are any number of circumstances that can make you question whether this is a good time to grow your family … or wonder what you were thinking when you started the pregnancy you’ve got. We’ve been there! And this episode, we talk about what we learned and what you can do to make an awkward pregnancy a blessing again.

The traditional wedding vows promise to be faithful “in sickness and in health,” but often that’s not just the illness of the husband or wife–and not something to be treated with over-the-counter products. How do you manage a family and home when illness and injury strike? What do you do when a family member has surgery, cancer, high risk pregnancy or birth defects? This week, we talk about some practical ways to think about illness and how to keep the family moving through it, and we’re joined by our son Caleb who’s been through several medical challenges himself.

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